Nico Visits 12 Grimmauld Place

2. I Take a Rainbow Shower

N I C O

Before showering, I tried shadow traveling right outside the window onto the roof, it wasn't a great distance so I should be fine. I didn't care what my doctor would think.

The shadows wrapped around me on command, and I felt myself whoosh to one side before — BONK! I smacked into that stupid force field. I was still in the same room, just next to the wall.

Great.

I drank some nectar, ate another sandwich — they were good, and prepared to Iris Message Percy.

This meant turning on the hot water and waiting for the steam to rise. There was a rusty window above the toilet, and I managed to shove it open to let in some dreaded sunlight.

Climbing through it wasn't an option, because my hand bounced on that stupid force field when I tried to stick it out.

A rainbow had appeared in the shower mist. I went into the shower stall and pulled the curtain, just in case. I stayed just outside of the spray and tossed in a drachma. "O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me Percy Jackson at Camp Half-Blood."

Percy appeared. He was hacking a dummy to pieces with Riptide, and nearly cut through the connection before he noticed me.

"Oh, hey Nico!" he grinned, then looked past me. "Are you in the shower? With clothes on?"

"Listen Percy, I'm on a mission for my dad. I was trying to get to 15 Grimmauld Place in London, England, but I ended up in a nearby house. I think I'm in 12, judging from what I can see from the window."

Percy capped Riptide, nodding. "I'm following. What do you want me to do?"

"The people living here are really weird. They wave sticks around and say spells. Like...wizards. But they don't know about gods. So I tried shadow traveling out, but I'm trapped. There's this weird force keeping me inside."

"Oh," Percy said, turning serious. "I'll take Mrs. O'Leary and get right over."

"Thanks," I said, relieved. "I owe you one. Is she up to it though?"

"Yeah. She's been hyper all day since she broke into the place we keep her treats."

I narrowed my eyes. "Excuse me? Didn't I put you in charge of—"

Percy cut the connection.

Rolling my eyes, I decided to take an actual shower while I waited. I'd just changed the water to warm and took off my clothes when the door burst open.

I shrieked and peeked around the curtain.

It was the guy with a missing eye and leg. He growled, "What were you doing?"

I gestured angrily at the water. "Showering, obviously. Try knocking! It's more polite then busting down the door."

He glowered at me. "I saw your lips moving. You were talking to someone!"

The words made me freeze. "Wait...you can see me? Like through this curtain right now?"

"Yes, and you were—"

"Dude! What's wrong with you? One, that is extremely creepy and disrespectful. Two, I was really just showering. Stop accusing me."

"Your lips were moving boy!"

"I was singing, you know, everyone does that in the shower."

Moody paused. "Your mouth was moving too fast for that."

"I was rapping."

"What is that?"

"Huh?"

"Rapping! Is that a code word?"

I shook my head, "You are one weird man. Are you like, from prehistoric times? How do you not know what rapping is? Even I know what it is."

He muttered something that sounded like Muggle. Then he gave up and marched out, slamming the door.

Whew.

I didn't feel like showering anymore. It was just creepy, knowing that that guy could see straight through walls and floors.

I was clean enough anyway, and I shut off the water. I hopped out and put on the clothes I'd just taken off.

When I returned to the bedroom, I was met with some neat grey clothes laid out on my bed.

Ugh, now those were too close to white. I am not wearing those.

Then Mrs. Weasley's voice boomed from downstairs. "Frank! Come down for dinner, please!"

I remembered that Frank was what I told them my name was.

Sighing, I went out and down the stairs.